Unauthorised Wolverine claws his way onto interwebs

The forthcoming superhero movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine has tipped up on a number of BitTorrent websites ahead of its 1 May release.

The film made its unauthorised debut on Tuesday. Its distributor, 20th Century Fox, coughed to the embarrassing leak yesterday, when the studio described the illegal download as an incomplete version of the movie and said it would easily be able to track down the culprit.

"We immediately contacted the appropriate authorities and had it removed," said the firm in a terse statement.

However, a quick visit to The Pirate Bay unsurprisingly reveals that the film is continuing to do the rounds on the interwebs.

20th Century Fox said the high-quality copy was nearly complete, but added some effects and scenes were missing and that it included temporary sound and music.

The studio said it would be able to work out the source of the leak because of forensic marks on the copy of the film, which stars Hugh Jackman and is directed by Gavin Hood.

"The FBI and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) also are actively investigating this crime. We are encouraged by the support of fansites condemning this illegal posting,” said 20th Century Fox.

Meanwhile, Blighty's film industry is changing its tactics in its fight against piracy.

The Industry Trust has ditched an advert that carried the message "You wouldn't steal a car... piracy is theft", and replaced it with a new campaign that focuses on thanking the public for their apparent support against copyright infringers.

The anti-piracy group claimed cinema and DVD sales rose in 2008 but added it was still concerned about illegal downloads, reports the Beeb.

The Industry Trust, which is pushing for ISPs to cut off customers who have shared illegal downloads online, said it wants the government to intervene if self-regulation fails.

New adverts will hit cinemas and DVDs soon featuring the outfit's somewhat patronising You Make The Movies campaign. ®